Manco Capac - Lake Titicaca and the Founding of Cusco

By Jordan Barnes

Legend has it that an the ancient sun god made his two children, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, emerge out of Lake Titicaca and on an island in the lake, he gave them a great golden staff to be used for a specific task. The task? Founding the Peruvian Incans and finding the most appropriate location by sticking the staff into the ground.

Manco and his sister, Mama, searched Peru high and low for the right spot, but the staff would not stick into the ground. Finally, they came upon the most beautiful place they had seen yet. They stuck the staff in the ground and it stuck. They founded the city of Cusco, conquering the tribes already living there and ruling them under the Incan Empire. He married his sister and they ruled side-by-side.

Some legends say that in the spot where they stuck the golden staff, Manco and Mama built a Temple of the Sun dedicated to their father. The legend dates Manco ruling the Incans in about the 12th century.

During the 17th century, the Santo Domingo Church and Qoricancha were built on the site of the Temple of the Sun, and it’s currently one of the biggest and most impressive tourist attractions in Cusco.